ACADEMY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR VIDEO GAME STUDENTS
Interactive Entertainment Organization Supports Future Video Game Superstars Through Randy Pausch
and Mark Beaumont Scholarships
LOS ANGELES – March 26, 2014 – The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is now accepting
applications for its prestigious academic scholarship program, the Randy Pausch and Mark Beaumont
Scholarships. Administered by the AIAS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AIAS, these four annual
scholarships support the backbone of the video game industry: the passionate students who play, live
and breathe games day in and day out and who plan to dedicate their careers to moving the games
industry forward.
"The Academy Foundation Scholarships encourage the most gifted and committed students planning
careers in interactive entertainment, and represent a central pillar of our mission,” said Don Daglow,
president of the AIAS Foundation and CEO of Daglow Entertainment. “The future of our industry will be
created by the students of today, and it is only through the development of new professionals that we
can influence that future. We are proud to offer scholarships named for industry icons Randy Pausch
and Mark Beaumont to help future leaders gain critical training and experiences upon which to build
their careers."
These scholarships support aspiring game makers in undergraduate or graduate level programs who are
planning on pursuing a career in development or leadership. Included in their scholarship is a chance to
attend the annual D.I.C.E. Summit and Awards ceremony:
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The Randy Pausch scholarship, which awards two $2,500 scholarships, was established in 2008
to honor the memory of Computer Science Professor and Co-Founder of the Entertainment
Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Randy Pausch. This scholarship has been
established to support students who are pursuing careers specializing in the development of
interactive entertainment like art, animation, programming, engineering, game direction, game
design, sound design, and music composition.
The Mark Beaumont scholarship, which awards two $2,500 scholarships, was established in
2010 to honor the memory of the previous COO of Capcom North America and Europe, Mark
Beaumont. This scholarship has been established to support students who are pursuing careers
specializing in the business of interactive entertainment such as executive leadership, law,
marketing, public relations, and business development.
“Beyond the financial scholarships, the Academy also strives to help its scholars build invaluable
connections with access to the D.I.C.E. Summit and Awards,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of
Interactive Arts & Sciences. “Last year, we awarded full passes for the D.I.C.E. Summit to the scholarship
recipients for the first time, and connected each student with an industry veteran throughout the week,
enabling them to network with industry peers, experience inspiring Summit sessions, and attend the
D.I.C.E. Awards. D.I.C.E. functions as a watering hole for our industry’s executives for creative exchange
and intellectual discourse, and we hope to similarly impact the Academy scholars.”
The Academy scholars from the 2013/2014 academic year included students from a range of disciplines,
including future designers, artists, entrepreneurs and communicators. The Randy Pausch scholarship
recipients included Ji “Atlas” Chen, as a Game Design MFA candidate at New York University and Erin
Loelius, a second year Character Animation student at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). The
Academy’s Mark Beaumont scholarship recipients included Sarah Conde, graduate student of Global
Integrated Communication at Kennesaw State University and Raymond Tan, a Mechanical Engineering
major with a minor in Entrepreneurship at Ohio State University. Additional information on last year’s
winners could be found here: http://www.interactive.org/foundation/scholarship_winners.asp
To qualify, applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.3, be a full-time student and attend an accredited
college or university in the United States during the 2013-2014 school year.
For more information about the scholarships, qualifications and application forms, please visit
http://www.interactive.org/foundation/scholarships.asp. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2014.
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PRESS CONTACT:
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Debby Chen, [email protected], 310-484-2556
or
Daniel Beardsworth, [email protected], 323-420-6391